UNHCR award to Turkish ship in migrants' rescue

Alfred Farrugia

Jun 11th 2009, 18:15

UNHCR may wish to consider adding another award, and give it to the audit team that produced the following report concerning its performance in Libya:

http://wikileaks.org/leak/un-oios/OIOS-20060628-01.pdf

What progress has UNHCR registered in Libya since the drafting of this audit report?

Charles Sammut

Jun 11th 2009, 16:32

How about compensating the ship owner for the loss of revenue suffered because of this episode? What will the ship owners do with a useless UNHCR award?

Thanks to Italian Minister Maroni's tough stand in the face of scathing attacks by UNHCR for returning migrants to Libya, not one single life has been lost at sea since. If it were up to the UNHCR, these tragedies would have continued as happened last summer. What crass hypocricy!

Etienne Bonanno

Jun 11th 2009, 15:51

@james muscat
The unhcr certainly has a place, and has the right attempt to influence international policy. That, however does not necessarily make it wise on its part to intrude in a bilateral diplomatic dispute. I simply meant to point out that in this case, it might not have been in its best interest
.
Incidentally, if the AFM have an obligation to handle rescues at sea, so did the Turkish vessel as specified in International Maritime Law.

james muscat

Jun 11th 2009, 14:48

@ the ppl who are asking for afm's award...the afm is obliged to rescue immigrants...this boat was not, and ended up in the middle of our dispute.

@ etienne bonanno...you're absolutely right...the united nations has no place in the world of international politics...sigh

lgalea

Jun 11th 2009, 12:40

What about AFM UNHCR hypocrats?

Reuben Micallef

Jun 11th 2009, 12:16

so the UNHCR has only got criticism reserved for our armed forces,maybe the UNHCR should tell us what they are doing in Libya,are there plans to increase their presence there so immigrants asking fora refugee status havetheir application processed there and then ,thus reducing the risk of lives lost at sea and breaking the organised crime circles of human trafficking.
What is beind done by everyone involved to tackle the problem at its roots i.e the countries where they orginate from,sending these people to Europe and other countires is not the real solution.

Etienne Bonanno

Jun 11th 2009, 12:14

Since when does the UNHCR give awards? Very unwise of it to sneak it's paws into an international diplomatic dispute...

d. borg

Jun 11th 2009, 11:39

Quite honestly, I don't care what the UNHCR does or to whom it gives its awards. All we ever got was criticism.

Steven Camilleri

Jun 11th 2009, 11:13

Can't you see that this is just a gimmick to help the turks for membership in the E.U.

C.Borg

Jun 11th 2009, 11:07

I also agree that the AFM deserve such an award since they have rescued many more immigrants.

Bernard Mamo

Jun 11th 2009, 10:49

"this was recognition of the way the ship had saved 142 migrants when the refugees were about to die in the sea"

don't the afm do this hundreds of times?

Edwin Mifsud

Jun 11th 2009, 10:34

When will the UNHCR award the A.F.M. for their never ending work in this saga?

Stewart Griffin

Jun 11th 2009, 10:32

There should be more people helping refugees without bringing them to Malta.